


Lost Souls: The Opera

by NessieFromSpace



Series: Lost Souls [5]
Category: Borderlands (Video Games)
Genre: Blood, Jack kills a fae, M/M, People are set on fire, Rhys and Vaughn run into the fae, it doesn't go well, mild violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-18
Updated: 2020-05-18
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:20:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,672
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24242713
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NessieFromSpace/pseuds/NessieFromSpace
Summary: Rhys and Vaughn find trouble when they go to the opera.
Relationships: Handsome Jack/Rhys (Borderlands)
Series: Lost Souls [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/877413
Comments: 2
Kudos: 13





	Lost Souls: The Opera

## 1722

## 

Rhys had been hearing rumors of an opera house opening up in the outskirts of New York and had finally talked Vaughn into going with him. They found their best clothes and hired two horses. Rhys was disguised again, wearing a maroon dress fit for a ball with patterned embroidery. He’d paid good money for this dress and the shoes to match, though, he wasn’t wearing them. Instead, he’d styled Jack to look exactly like they did.

“I cannot wait!” Rhys beamed at Vaughn, riding side-saddle, his body enchanted to keep perfectly balanced. “It has been ages since we’ve seen any professional play and now there’s this opera that’s a play, but told through music!”

Vaughn looked weary. “I don’t know about this. How are they going to tell a story just through music?”

“We’re going to find out!”

They met fellow travelers, who were excited about it as well. “I heard there is no fee! It’s free! Can you imagine? I don’t even remember it being built.”

“Nor I, but I heard there’s camps from townsfolk so they can go back day after day cause it’s so good!”

“I heard some folk don’t even leave the building!”

Their words did not fall on deaf ears. Rhys glanced at them, the rumors sounded… off. He could feel Vaughn glancing at him and pretended he did not notice. He’d never heard of a free performance, unless they were a beggar on the street, and still they were looking for money. And come to think of it, he hadn’t heard anything about a new building either…

It was near sunset when they arrived. Sure enough, there were camps set up all around, but they were completely empty. Their fires were nonexistent and days old. One tent had even crumpled to the ground.

This time, Rhys could not contain his frown. This was starting to creep him out. It twinged in the back of his mind, slowly cracking whatever resolve he had left.

When the building finally came into view, it was grand. It towered over them, ornate and delicate. Rhys slowed his horse, staring at the beautiful structure he’d only ever seen come from France. The hairs stood up at his neck.

“Welcome weary travelers!” A man called from the doors. “We’re so pleased to have you!”

“ _Rhys!_ ” Vaughn hissed.

“I know,” Rhys sighed. They could see through the glamour of the man. They could see his sharp angles, the unusual height, and the earily slow movement that seem to be out of focus.

“We should go,” Vaughn whispered. “Fae are not to be messed with.”

Rhys stared at the building, his heart sinking. He’d missed art. He’d missed plays. It was hard to come by in New England. Everyone was too busy settling and starting a new life to bother with the arts. 

“Rhys!”

He dragged his eyes away from the building to Vaughn. “Hear me out before you say no-”

“No!” Vaughn frowned. “How are you even thinking this is a good idea!?”

Rhys moved his horse to the side, hiding them from the building and the man. “Because I’ve been deprived of creativity and beauty! When was the last play we went to?”

“I miss it too, but Rhys, if they find out we’ve tricked them, they’re going to come after us and fae are not enemies we want.”

“After we’re done, we can just come out here like we’re going to set up our camp and then quietly slip away.”

Vaughn pinched the bridge of his nose. “We can see other operas. If they’re popular enough for fae to use, then they know it’ll catch on, which means we’ll see them in the future.”

Rhys pouted. “But we’ll be one of the first in the New World to see it!”

“We’ll definitely be the only ones who’ll live to tell about it.”

“Please, Vaughn! We’ve been hiding for a while now, it’s about time we took a chance.”

“Thirty years is barely enough time.”

“Great!” Rhys smiled wide and hopped off his horse.

“That was not an answer.” But Rhys was already tying his horse to a tree. Vaughn sighed. “Fine. I was getting bored anyway.”

* * *

Rhys walked briskly as he dared heels to the entrance, eyes wide, admiring the craftsmanship. “Wow! I’ve never seen anything like this! It’s so beautiful!”

The man smiled at him and Rhys pretended not to notice it was wider than a human’s. “Of course it’s beautiful! It’s Italian! Do come in and find a seat, the opera is going to be a show to remember!”

“I believe it!” Rhys smiled wide and bounced into the building, tugging Vaughn along. The inside was even more elegant. Vast hallways with marble that gave a faint echo from their voices.

Rhys let out a loud squeal. “Oh this is just the best thing I’ve ever seen!”

“They’ve copied the original.”

“And it’s as beautiful as I remember.”

They found seats and waited. The hum of excited voices filled the theater, energizing everyone. When it finally began, Rhys was enraptured. He could see the glamours and the dust that enchanted the audience and while it did not work on him, he let himself be carried away by the story anyway.

It wasn’t until they took an intermission that Rhys blinked, wiped tears and smiled at Vaughn. “Well? Do you like it?”

Vaughn smiled. “It’s not bad.”

Rhys looked around at the audience, his smile wavering just a fraction. Everyone stared dumbfounded at the stage even though there were no fae around. He tapped his foot nervously, the stone cold against his bare feet.

Rhys frowned and looked down. His shoes were gone. He hissed. “Vaughn!” He looked around his seat. “Have you seen my shoes?”

“What? Why would I be looking at your feet?”

“This is serious!” Rhys whispered. “I think they were stolen from me!”

Vaughn frowned. “How could you not have felt them leave your feet?”

Rhys pouted. “I was focused on the opera! It was really good!”

The lines around Vaughn’s eyes began to crinkle as he smiled.

“It’s not funny!” Rhys snapped. “If I don’t find them… I don’t know what they’ll do.”

“The fae probably took it as payment. Nothing’s actually free with them.”

“What’d they take from you, then?” Rhys snarled, standing up.

Vaughn patted his pockets. “Huh, nothing…”

He bent closed to Vaughn. “So what are they going to take as payment, then, I wonder? I’m going to find my shoes.” He took off down the aisle. Vaughn swore and then followed.

The place was empty, not even the man at the door was in sight.

“Creepy,” Vaughn whispered.

“They’re not even trying to stop anyone from leaving.”

“Well they’re all humans, they’re simple, that enchantment would be enough.”

“Split up, I’ll go this way, you can take the stairs down…”

Vaughn nodded.

Rhys looked around the building, ending up back in the theater, slipping backstage. He could hear the distant laughter of the fae and crept close, looking for anyone holding or wearing his shoes. When he did not see them, he continued to search. He tried to calm the rising anxiety inside him. No one had ever touched Jack before, not even Vaughn. He had no idea what would happen, if he’d get out of the curse, or become more resistant to Rhys.

He peeked inside more rooms cautiously. It was the third door he looked in, however, that made him gasp and cover his mouth. A fae lay dead, glistening white blood pooling around the fae’s feet.

“Dammit, Jack!” Rhys hissed. He crouched over them and tentatively touched a finger to the shoes. When nothing happened, he sighed in relief.

“Rhys,” Vaughn whispered from the door.

Choking on his scream, Rhys stood and faced Vaughn, clutching at his heart. He glared. “What is wrong with you!? I thought you were one of them!

Vaughn stared at the fae. “What- what happened!?”

“I told you I needed to get my shoes back!” Rhys bent back down and began to pull the shoes off.

“You’re… Are you saying _your shoes did this?_ No, on second thought, I don’t want to know what weird magic surrounds your shoes. I’ll stand guard and then I need you to follow me. I found something you’re not going to like.”

“Fine,” Rhys hissed, tugging at the heel. “Let go!” Jack was not budging easily. “I will turn you back into those heels from two hundred years ago if you don’t let go!” He almost toppled when the shoe finally gave and slid off. “You’ve ruined everything, you realize this?” He hissed to Jack. “I can’t finish the opera because of you. They’re not going to let us stay after one of their own has been killed.”

He stood and went to Vaughn.

“You’re not going to wear them?”

“They’re soaked in fae blood, there’s no way I’m wearing these until they’re washed. Where are we going now?”

“Follow me.”

Slowly sneaking past the group of fae, Rhys felt the shoes tremble. He clutched them tighter. Once they were away, Rhys spoke. “Where are we going?”

“There’s something you need to see. I know what the payment is to see the opera.”

Rhys did not like the sound of that. They came to the stairs and dread filled him. He was starting to get the sense of what the payment was. Owing fae a debt never turned out well. Vaughn put his finger to his lips. Rhys nodded, but as they reached the bottom, he had to cover his mouth to keep from screaming.

Standing barely inches apart, were humans, skin clinging to their bones, thin and wrinkled. Their eyes bulged from their sockets, mouths hanging open, saliva dripping down their chins. Rhys quickly back to the top of the stairs, bending over to catch his breath.

“That’s… I can’t believe…” He shuddered.

“We gotta help them.” Vaughn said, sitting on the top stair. “They don’t deserve this.”

“No, they don’t.” He grinned at Vaughn. “Dragon fire mixed with a little spell work?”

His friend nodded.

“Right.” Rhys helped Vaughn to his feet.

A very cold, very heavy chill ran over them, threatening to trap them in their spot. Rhys took a deep breath and let it release through his toes, freeing himself. Vaughn did the same, breaking free of the binding spell the fae were trying to use. They had discovered the dead fae.

“We’re out of time.”

They turned down the stairs and faced the hundreds of townsfolk, their souls slowly being devoured. The two glanced at each other for a moment before Vaughn took a long breath. Rhys whispered into the air before the dragon. The noise awoke the humans and they looked at the two, their faces growing dark, teeth elongating. They hissed and launched for them, but met a fire that grew tenfold and engulfed the large basement. Carried by Rhys’ spell it found cracks in the stone and seeped through like water, spreading to the other parts of the theater. Nothing could stop dragon’s fire once it was started and now it had a form of sentience from Rhys’ magic. It would devour the entire building and everything inside it.

The screams from the zombified people were ear shattering. It rippled through Rhys’ body and he pressed his hands over his ears, which pushed the shoes against him.

_LET ME OUT! GET ME OUT!_

He stumbled into Vaughn from Jack’s sudden voice. Panic swirled inside him. He teleported, clutching to Vaughn at the last second to bring him along. They fell outside of the building, only several feet away.

The flames had very quickly spread through the theater. They could hear screaming as the humans in the auditorium began to burn.

They coughed on the ground, taking a precious moment to collect themselves. When they heard glass breaking, they realized fae were climbing out the windows. Quickly, they took several steps away, trying to keep a safe distance.

Several fae helped a superior one out the window. They glowered, towering over the others and looking around furiously. Rhys and Vaughn could sense a great power in the fae that was beginning to fade. “WHO DID THIS!?”

Vaughn and Rhys held their breath.

The fae who had let them in, spotted them. “They were watching the show!”

Rhys swallowed and then rolled his shoulders back, staring down the superior. He could feel Vaughn follow suit, agreeing with Rhys’ choice.

The superior sneered, the burning light dimming all around them. “You! You all are marked enemies of fae! Kill them!”

Rhys gasped and clutched onto Vaughn once more, teleporting them back to their home.

* * *

Silence overwhelmed them. Rhys let himself fall to the floor where he caught his breath. _They were marked enemies of fae._ That was a serious crime. Fae held grudges forever and once marked, it never came off, no matter what. Any fae could see it and they would be obligated to carry out the kill order.

“Well… There’s another group who wants to kill us,” Vaughn sighed.

“I’m sorry,” Rhys breathed. “I should have listened to you.”

“Then we wouldn’t have saved all those souls.”

Rhys took a deep breath and exhaled, his body relaxing, the shoes resting on the floor. “We’re going to have to move… Again.”

Vaughn sighed. “Well, New York was too lively for us, anyways.”

As Rhys grinned, the shoes suddenly leapt from his hand. He swore and jumped for them, only to miss. “Don’t let them get you!” Rhys called to Vaughn.

Quickly, Vaughn climbed onto the table. He glared down at the possessed shoes that rolled in different directions. “Alright, I need a break from… _This_ … I’ll catch up with you in a few days Rhys.”

“Mmm,” Rhys hummed, pouncing towards the shoes, missing once more. “I’ll pack your things.”

Vaughn crouched out the window and left.

“So, fae blood makes you strong, then?” Rhys watched the shoes roll against the walls, moving slightly to search around the room. He tried to catch them, but they slipped from his grasp. He huffed. “We don’t have time for this, Jack. We’re being hunted by the fae.” The shoes continued to move around the house and Rhys continued to circle around them, waiting for the opportunity to catch them.

When he finally saw it and lunged, finally catching both shoes at once. Then everything went dark.

* * *

He stood before Jack in the same darkness as last time. The man was just as imposing as before the curse… just as handsome too. Rhys' gut twisted just as painfully as when Jack had betrayed him. It eroded into sharp edges that stabbed and dug into Rhys, making it hard to breathe.

Jack walked over to Rhys, multi-colored eyes boring holes into his resolve. And yet, when Jack spoke, it was soft and determined, an intimate conversation for only the two of them. "Let me out."

Rhys blinked, swallowing hard. "Why? So you can try to kill me again? Or try to use me?"

Jack stared at Rhys, closing the distance between them fully. He reached out for Rhys, but when Rhys winced away, Jack's movement froze. His lips were set in a determined line. "I will get out. I’m getting closer."

Fear swept up Rhys, clogging his throat. The thought of Jack being out and able to hurt him again made his resolve crumble apart. He clenched his fists and glared with tears rolling down his face. "No, you won't."

Jack's eyes seemed to soften and this time be reached out for Rhys, his hand cupping Rhys' cheek. "We both know that that fae blood was what I needed. It will wither away this curse and I will be free."

Rhys stepped away from Jack. "It might, but drinking from such a weak fae means it is going to be a very long time still.”

Anger sank behind Jack’s eyes, but he smirked. “I’ve waited four hundred years, I can wait a few more.”

**Author's Note:**

> My tumblr: http://nessiefromspace.tumblr.com/  
> My Borderlands/ fanart tumblr: https://nessiesspeakeasy.tumblr.com/  
> My old Borderlands tumblr: http://nessiefromink.tumblr.com/


End file.
